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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · stick · rule · wax · wound · kick · kid · plane

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rule — government
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — temperature
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. rule — a law
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com